Greetings from Pandemic Island - Artist Talk with Viktor Koen

School of Visual Arts' department presents Greetings from Pandemic Island, an artist talk with Viktor Koen, chair of BFA Comics and BFA Illustration. This talk accompanies an exhibition with the same title at SVA's Flatiron Project Space, curated by Manolis Moresopoulos, artistic director of the Athens Photo Festival. The exhibition will be on view from Friday, February 21 – Sunday, March 16, at 133 West 21 Street.

Initially conceived as a set of postcards, , evolved into a pictorial bridge between the 1918–19 influenza and COVID-19 pandemics. Spanning a turbulent century, the series documents the brutal realities of such crises by questioning issues of personal and collective responsibility, humanity, and gross indifference but also highlights an intricate web of long-existing layers of racial and socioeconomic disparities catalyzed by the epidemic.

Utilizing a wide range of archival photography, turn-of-the-century advertising, and public service propaganda, this visual essay functions as a vivid reminder of viral global experiences still unfolding through mass and social media on our devices. But mostly, about the obsessive urgency to simply make something and stay mentally afloat when everything around was sinking.

SVA wants to ensure persons with disabilities have access to this event. If you are a person with a disability who requires accommodations to access or participate in this event, please reach out to the MPS Digital Photography department at [email protected] or to SVA Disability Resources [email protected] at least 7 business days prior to the event.

Event Venue & Nearby Stays

SVA Graduate Center, 136 West 21st Street, New York, United States